Cold Steel
by Sean101
Summary: Follow Sean and his Serperior Damien as they challenge the ninth gym in the Unova region.  ...Wait. What?
1. Fresh Water

"Congratulations, sir! You're the first man to challenge the newly instated _ninth_ gym!" the suit-clad man in the front foyer said, quite excitedly.

"I gotta hand it to you, you guys built this gym fast," Sean replied, taking his Fresh Water, "We just got word about this gym a few hours ago. How did you do it?"

"Oh, Pokemon are pretty much our slaves," the man explained, "We just got some Machamps and some Conkeldurrs and said, 'Here's what the building will look like. Now, get to work you savages!' It was great."

Damien shot Sean a visibly irritated look. Sean pleaded with his eyes for him to not Leaf Blade the poor man.

"Heh, sounds like quite a strategy," Sean got out. "Certainly seems efficient."

"Well, enough blibber-blabber!" the man crowed jovially, "Let's _do _this thang! Blake sits upon his throne of steel-encrusted metal at the back of the gym. You must use the valve handles to match up the correct bridges to make it there and challenge him."

Sean peered over the first ledge with caution.

"And what awaits us if we fall off of one of these hastily-constructed bridges…?" he warily asked.

"Spikes!" the man answered gleefully.

Sean and Damien merely stared.

"…spikes?" Damien choked. "As in… _death_ spikes?"

"Absolutely!" the man replied, "Blake had them custom-made for this gym. He mentioned something about 'totally sweet Fatalities' I think. I trusted his judgment."

"A sound decision," Damien replied with a slow nod. This man was probably insane.

"Well, good luck to the two of you!" the man said with a thumbs-up, "And remember, Steel-types don't do too well against Fighting-type moves."

"Or Fire-types!" Sean pointedly added.

"Shhhhhhh!" the man spat while dashing over to cover Sean's mouth. "That's a _secret…!"_

A strange silence fell as the man stood glaring at Sean, hand still clapped over his mouth. Damien couldn't contain himself.

"…and Ground-types!"

"_SHUT UP!"_


	2. The Motions

Sean and Damien carefully treaded the first bridge, all the while envisioning how they'd look propped up on one of Blake's custom-made spikes. The first bridge led to an intersection with either a left or a right path choice. Sean turned the valve in front of him and every bridge in the room swiveled with a bassy metallic roar. This mechanism gave him an impressive sense of power.

Sean chose the bridge on the right ("Right is right!" he explained to Damien, who raised no objections) and once again began the arduous process of traversing the precarious walkway. The next valve was guarded by an armor-clad man who stood staring off into space.

"You know, I want to attack one of these people, just to see if they have feelings," Damien said as they examined this challenger.

"Nah, save your PP," Sean chuckled, "These 'people' probably haven't been programmed to understand pain."

After knocking on the man's helmet a few times, Sean made a long stride that passed in front of him. He was greeted with a red exclamation mark and a medieval-inspired jingle.

"These bridges move in sync with each other!" the man exclaimed, pointing at Sean's face.

"We know _that,_" Damien tried to explain, "We had to move the bridges to get here in the first pla-"

"Go, Escavalier!" the knight yelled, dramatically tossing his Pokeball. Escavalier popped out with a glimmer and a cry.

"Dah! Bug and Steel. I will literally be _no_ help here," Damien told Sean. Sean nodded and returned him to his Pokeball, opting instead for Victini.

"Victini, your assistance is needed!" he yelled as he threw the ball. Victini popped out all smiles.

"Alright, bro, this guy's Bug and Steel," Sean explained to him, "so any Fire-Type attack is going to be the death of him. Try to be gentle."

Victini nodded happily and turned to face his foe. Escavalier looked intimidating, no doubt, but the disadvantage he was at here was blatantly non-threatening. Victini charged bright fires in his hands and brought them together, shooting out a deadly Flamethrower attack that lit up the area for a good few yards. Escavalier's demeanor changed to terror for a brief instant before eating the blaze. The smoke cleared to reveal him passed out on the cold steel floor.

His "trainer" showed no emotional reaction to the loss of his Pokemon. He merely returned it and readied his next one.

**The trainer is about to send out FERROTHORN. Would you like to change Pokemon?**

Sean couldn't help but laugh. Once again, Flamethrower would be doing almost 400 damage here.

"You got this, Vic," Sean told his Pokemon. Victini complacently readied another blast.


	3. The Battle Begins

After navigating the labyrinth of bridges, valves, and Stepford challengers, Sean and Damien (out after his recent battle with an Excadrill) found themselves at the head of one final bridge. This metal path stretched on to a dramatically-lit platform attached to the wall. This platform seated a large, metal chair. And this chair sat the gym leader.

Damien leaned over and whispered in Sean's ear.

"Bonus points for presentation," he told him. Sean grinned and stepped forward.

Blake sat lavishly in his chair, looking down at the perfect angle to throw his forehead and eyes in shadow. His blond hair gleamed brightly in the light, but the rest of his body could scarcely be seen. Sean and Damien couldn't help but feel nervous as they approached their motionless opponent.

The two finally reached the platform, Sean's final footstep echoing throughout the steel chamber. The gym leader remained motionless in his chair, seeming to not even breathe. Damien shot Sean a weary glance, his large red eyes dimly radiating a glassy glow under the spotlight. Sean returned the glance and gave him a confident nod.

Blake slowly moved his hands and began to stand up out of his chair. Sean and Damien watched in awe as he silently made it to his feet, shadow still covering his face. He breathed a heavy sigh before finally looking up to meet his challengers.

"What's up?" Blake asked them with a toothy grin.

"N-not much…!" Sean replied, his nervousness shattering into small pieces.

"You like this setup?" Blake asked eagerly, "It's pretty awesome when you walk across that final bridge."

"I _love _it!" Sean replied with excitement, "You'll have to let me sit in that chair sometime!"

"I warn you, a metal throne is a bad idea," Blake explained, "I can't feel my butt."

Damien giggled.

"Alright, so you want a _badge, _eh?" Blake interrogated, spitting out the word 'badge' as if it were a nasty piece of chewing gum.

"Shhyeah," Sean replied. "We didn't come this far to stop now. I have to at least try…!"

"Let's not waste any time then. Come on out, Scizor!" Blake lobbed his Pokeball and Scizor burst forth, casting a bright red glow that was almost blinding.

Damien cringed. "Argh, does _everyone_ have to use Bug-types?" Sean patted him on the head and returned him.

"Scizor? Interesting…! Can you find those in the Unova region?"

"Nah," Blake replied. "I cheated." Sean shook his fist in mock-anger.

"Alright then. Come on, Dragonite!" Sean yelled and tossed his Pokeball. Dragonite came out with a mighty roar and an adorable smile. He shook Scizor's claw, who smiled in return.

"Heeeeeey, Dratinis can't be found until _after_ you beat the Elite Four!" Blake incriminated, pointing an accusing finger.

"Yeah, I cheated too." Sean explained. "We suck."

Dragonite was part Flying, so Scizor's Bug-type moves wouldn't affect him much. Blake would have to resort to other strategies.

"Scizor, use Double Hit!"

Scizor shot forward with lightning speed and delivered two swift punches to Dragonite's face. The blows sent loud metal clangs throughout the area and Dragonite reeled back, eyes screwed shut. Sean felt bad for his loveable dragon.

"You can't take that, Dragonite!" he yelled. "Use Dragon Claw!"

Dragonite lunged at his bright-red foe and brought his claws downward with a deafening metal scrape. The attack brought Scizor down face first, forcing him to the floor with a mighty thud. Blake was not happy.

"Use Iron Head!"

Sean clenched his teeth in fear. Iron Head had good power behind it. He watched helplessly as Scizor shot like a bullet at Dragonite, headbutting him with tremendous force. He stumbled backwards and lost his footing, falling down next to Sean. Sean braced himself as the massive weight fell next to him.

Sean approached his fallen dragon. Dragonite was still in fighting form, but he didn't appreciate that last blow. He gave Sean a frown and a low moan.

"It's alright, man…!" Sean consoled and hugged him. "It's time to pull out all the stops."

"This moment is getting dangerously heartwarming," Blake explained to Scizor in alarm. "Hurry, use X-Scissor!"

Scizor brought his claws down and shot forward. Blake closed his eyes, bracing for the impact… that never came. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw that Dragonite was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" he gasped. Scizor shared his bewilderment.

Sean checked his watch, following the second hand. Five, four, three, two…

Dragonite plummeted from the ceiling of the chamber, coming down back-first to meet his opponent. Scizor had only a second to realize what was happening before Dragonite slammed his full weight down on to him. The impact was thunderous.

The vibrations finally ceased and Dragonite got off of his opponent. Scizor had almost been driven through the metal surface. He was in no condition to battle. A powerful silence fell on the trainers.

"…that move wouldn't be so effective if your Dragonite wasn't so _fat!_" Blake retorted. Sean laughed and hugged his dragon. Blake reluctantly withdrew his Scizor with a smirk.

"Alright, so you've got some powerful friends with you," Blake admitted. Sean let himself beam with pride.

"But let's see how you manage with Empoleon!" he yelled as his Pokeball came flying. Empoleon's intimidating figure was revealed, head held high with pride. Sean knew what to do.

"I need you Damien!"

The Serperior came out, pride almost equaling Empoleon's.

"You mean I get to do something in a _Steel-type battle?_" he asked in happy disbelief. His expression suddenly changed to dread.

"Wait. Am I the butt-monkey? You're not just using me to revive someone else, are you?"

Sean laughed and reassured him. "This is Empoleon we're talking about. I raised one myself back in the Sinnoh region. Steel is only they're secondary type – most of their attacks are water-based."

This brought Damien's confidence back. "Alriiiight, now we're talking. Let's see what he can do." Damien's speed was much higher, so he got the first move.

"Let's see that beautiful Leaf Blade!" Sean called. Damien happily obliged. He quickly slithered over to the massive penguin and slashed his tail downward twice in an X pattern, before finishing with a powerful horizontal stroke. Empoleon grimaced as the attack landed, finally being forced into a mid-air spin by the final strike. He hit the ground clumsily and hastily readied himself again.

"Overwhelm him with Surf!"

This worried Sean greatly. Damien was resistant to Water-type moves, but Surf still had incredible power behind it. Empoleon brought his flippers up and summoned a large wall of water. Damien gazed at it with fear as it was forcefully brought down on him. The wave carried him a great distance, the punishing waters exhausting his strength. The attack finally laid him many yards away at the end of the final bridge.

"Are you alright?" Sean called out to him.

"…all good!" he called back with exhaustion in his voice. Damien made his way back to Sean and shook all the water off of himself.

"That penguin is no joke," he explained to his trainer, "That Surf was tremendous."

"Not bad, huh?" Blake called out. "Empoleon's Special Attack is pretty friggin' awesome." Empoleon brought his flippers behind his back and nodded triumphantly.

"Empoleon's Special stats are good, but his physical defense is weaker," Sean explained to Damien. "Let's hit him with Return."

Damien aimed himself at Empoleon and closed his eyes. Return called upon all of his happy memories with his trainer. He imagined their first day – little Snivy playing hard-to-train with Sean. Their many battles; most importantly, their victories. Evolution to Servine. The many gym leaders they'd faced…

As these thoughts sped through his mind, he began to glow a bright blue. Empoleon's proud expression faltered a bit as he saw the Serperior's power grow. Finally, without warning, Damien shot at Empoleon in a flash of bright blue. Empoleon took the hit and went flying backward with great momentum, finally crashing to a halt in Blake's metal throne.

Blake saw this and grimaced. He couldn't overpower something he was at a type disadvantage to – it was time to get obnoxious.

Empoleon lumbered back to Blake, his body and his pride hurting. He was angrier than ever, now, and Blake knew this. He leaned over to his Pokemon and whispered a single word.

Swagger.

Empoleon turned on his heel and began to strut in front of Damien, eventually sidestepping and backpedaling his flippers in a "bring it on" motion. Damien was furious.

"Are you seeing this?" Damien ranted to Sean, "This guy thinks he can just run out here and taunt me make me look stupid well he's the stupidone-hesugly-icantbelieve-hedar-ghtryto-thargh-ghgh!"

Damien fell under the Swagger spell quickly, his anger becoming more and more nonsensical, inevitably leading to an enraged confusion.

"Damien! Stay cool! Focus!" Sean barked as he helplessly watched his Serperior lose control of his motions. Damien charged up a Leaf Blade and unleashed it on some unfortunate air molecules to the west of Empoleon. Blake couldn't help but laugh.

He was running wild now, Leaf Blading every area of the platform. Empoleon stayed clear of his erratic movements, grinning all the while.

"Focus!" Sean pleaded. "Concentrate your anger!"

Damien's mind was still a free-wheeling disaster. His thoughts were scrambled; bits and pieces of anger and move commands, occasionally spliced with random dreamlike thoughts. The synapses were firing like machine guns, sending signals to his brain in a scattered, broken mess. But through all this, he heard Sean's pleas.

"_snap out of it…! …you can do it!"_

And things began to make sense.

He understood that he was trying to attack Empoleon, but his movements were difficult to control and everything was a blur. Damien ceased his Leaf Blade attacks and tried his hardest to become still.

Sean sensed a change. Damien wasn't quite snapping out of his confusion, but he was getting through to him.

"There you go!"

He watched the familiar bright blue glow of Return begin to foster.

"Remember! We're in this together! You and me, we're unstoppable…!"

"Don't listen to him!" Blake hastily added. This power could get very dangerous, very quickly. Damien continued to charge.

"Team Plasma _fears_ us!" Sean called to his Pokemon. "They know how strong we are!"

"Team Plasma is weak – anyone can beat them!" Blake shot back. Damien was beginning to tremble with power.

"We're the best!"  
>"You're the worst!"<br>"You helped me so much!"

"You could've done more!"  
>"We make a great team!"<p>

"You could easily be replaced!"

This back-and-forth banter did not confuse Damien – he was concentrating hard on controlling his movements. Only Sean's voice got through to him, and his Return had grown to be blindingly bright. It was time to act.

Damien suddenly shot forward in a dazzling flash. He didn't strike Empoleon, but he continued to shoot forward in different directions. Darting back and forth with blazing intensity, he would simply go through a vicious trial and error.

Empoleon tried to follow his movements and ready himself, but the Serperior's speed was unprecedented. He merely reassured himself that his confusion was still intact. He wouldn't be able to hit his mark.

He was wrong.

Damien's power, strengthened from Sean's words and the enraging Swagger finally found their target. The blue bullet plowed through Empoleon, sweeping him off his feet and carrying him across the platform. He cried out in a low roar as he tumbled through the air, seeming almost in slow-motion as Blake watched in shock. Finally the ground came up to meet him, and his momentum ceased on the metal floor. He wasn't getting up.

Damien shook his head violently as coherence came back in full force to his thought and movement. He turned back to Sean and cracked an elated grin. Sean ran forward to celebrate.

" We did it! We did it! " they crowed and jumped up and down with glee. Blake once again reluctantly returned his Pokemon, but he knew that the best was yet to come.

"Not bad, not bad at all, sir," he told Sean as he stopped celebrating, "But I'm afraid that those battles were just warm-ups. I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine."

Blake's Pokeball came flying and a Lucario emerged, steadfast and ready in the standard Aura pose. His palms stuck out toward Sean and Damien, who were visibly worried.

"This Lucario is the product of diligent training and years of experience," Blake explained. "Without a doubt, gentlemen, he is a killing machine."

Sean leaned over to his Serperior.

"You need some rest," he explained, "I think I have a plan."

Damien nodded and retired to his Pokeball. Sean knew that Lucario would have to be hit hard and fast, for his stats would be high and his speed nigh unstoppable.

"Alright. Dragonite!" Sean called as he sent out his Pokemon. Dragonite emerged, ready for battle once again.

"Dragonite, I don't expect you to beat Lucario by yourself," Sean explained to his dragon who obediently listened, "I just need you to hit him as hard as you can at least once. This Lucario is more formidable than anything we've seen yet, so don't feel bad if you get knocked out of battle."

Dragonite nodded and Sean patted his head. Dragonite always wanted to be as useful as he could, but he reluctantly understood that sacrifices would have to be made in a case like this. He would not let his efforts go to waste.

"Are you ready?" Blake asked, eager to begin.

Sean nodded in affirmation.


	4. Close Combat

"Lucario, use Dragon Pulse!"

This was bad.

Lucario stretched out his right arm and fired a mighty, blue blast from his hand. The cylinder of energy struck Dragonite in the chest and incited a small explosion. He stumbled back and fell to one knee, grunting in pain.

"Alright, Dragonite, hit him with Aqua Tail!"

Dragonite's pain turned to determination. He stretched his tail out and enveloped it in a raging ball of water. He ran toward his opponent, violently turning his body and swinging his heavy tail at the last moment. Lucario was blown away in a large, watery explosion. He spiraled through the air in pain, but came to rest back on his feet, ready for the next attack.

Dragonite looked exhausted. Sean knew he wouldn't be fighting much longer. He hoped that maybe Lucario would use a status-ailment move or something, so Sean would have another opportunity to attack.

"ExtremeSpeed!"

No such luck.

Lucario dashed forward in the blink of an eye and drove an uppercut into Dragonite's jaw. He let out a bellowing groan and came crashing down with the finality of defeat. He was unconscious the second the punch landed.

Sean gazed at his fallen comrade and felt guilty for letting him take the fall.  
>"Sorry buddy," he whispered as he returned him. "You did great."<p>

"That's one down!" Blake called, fist pumping in triumph.

"You douche!" Sean shot back. "How could you knock out something so cute?"

"I will admit, Dragonites are pretty adorable…" Blake replied, "but I have to take my gym battles seriously. They gave me this job for a reason, you know." Blake finished his last remark with a glimmer in his eye. Lucario shared his opinions – his expression, his stance… it was all business. No fun and games. Efficiency was key.

Sean had hoped to do more damage, but now it was time to send out his trump card.

"Let's get him, Victini!" he called as he came out. Victini, as usual, was much less serious. Sean had learned that the only way to really make Victini unhappy was to hurt his feelings, which he would never do. Team Plasma had mistakenly taunted him in a battle or two and brought about the real fury of his Pokemon, but other than that, Victini pretty much loved everything. He took punches in the face with no malice. He obediently did everything he was asked to do and aimed to please. Sean's heart always warmed up at the sight of his glee-filled face. He knelt down beside him.

"This guy means business," Sean explained to Victini, his red V-shaped ears giving off a shimmer in the light, "So we need to hit him with all our strength. We haven't battled this much just to get snuffed out, right?"

Victini nodded happily in approval and turned to face his foe.

"Lucario, use Dark Pulse!"

"What?"

Lucario's eyes turned a deep purple as he clasped his palms together. Gravity seemed to have been inverted in the space around him – the air quickly rushing upward as he charged his blast. He finally brought both hands out forcefully as a wave of harsh purple energy burst forth. Victini was forced into a backflip from the shockwave, coming down face first.

He struggled back to his feet, wincing. Thanks to the type advantage there, Dark Pulse would have a power of around 160. Good Lord.

"Victini, use Flamethrower!"

As he had done so many times before, Victini brought his bright-orange hands together and charged up a fiery blast. He fired it with expertise at Lucario, who took the blast in the chest and flew a good distance backward.

Blake was still confident.

"Dark Pulse, again!"

Sean knew that even with Victini's great special defense, such super effective moves would put anyone down rather quickly.

"Victini, quick! Psychic!"

Victini brought his hands to his temples and spawned a powerful mental energy. Lucario's Dark Pulse fired, once again sending out the powerful shockwave. Victini managed to release his energy before he was hit, and both Pokemon were blasted backward once again.

Lucario's Fighting-type base meant that Psychic would do great damage, but the worst-case scenario that Sean had feared came to light.

Lucario's Dark Pulse was a critical hit.

Victini flashed brightly – black and white losses of energy – and came down painfully next to Sean. Such flashes meant the hit was critical, and at such a crucial moment, Sean couldn't help but feel a rising anger.

Sean knelt down next to his little buddy. Victini looked heartbroken, his large blue eyes glistening. Sean knew he'd be just fine – a quick trip to the Pokemon Center and he'd be raring to go again, but he couldn't fight the overwhelming feeling that this was no mere fainting.

"Stupid Lucario and his stupid crits," he laughed to Victini, lightening the mood. "It's not your fault, man. You hit him with everything you had."

Victini's broken expression gave way to a smile. He nodded in understanding and lost consciousness, his head bobbing back with a soft thud on the metal floor. Sean's trump card was finished. Victini was still smiling.

Sean returned him to his Pokeball and began to taste frustrating defeat in his mouth. Blake had baited him in with manageable opponents and then spat all his hard work back at him with this beast. Following the 3-on-3 structure, all Sean had left was Damien, now. He could only hope that he felt somewhat refreshed.

Sean halfheartedly lobbed his Pokeball and Damien popped out. He was sleeping.

"Mmmrrr… ugh… huh…?" He began to realize he had been summoned.

Sean only had to say two words.

"Critical hit."

"Dammit!"

Damien shared Sean's frustration. This had started off as fun and games, but Sean and losing had never got along well.

"You're my only hope…" Sean explained. "We have to hit him with something incredible."

Damien shot Sean a smile. "Don't worry, Princess Leia. I've got your back."


	5. Last Legs

"You're on your last legs, my friend," Blake called out to his challenger. "Would you like to end this now and spare Damien the pain?"

"You're not weaseling out of defeat _that _easily," Sean called back. Blake grinned.

Damien's speed actually matched that of Lucario's, so a move could quickly be made.

"Swords Dance," Sean requested. Great glimmering blades appeared around the Serperior and orbited him, charging him as they revolved.

"Lucario, give him an Aura Sphere!" Blake commanded. Lucario brought his hands together and charged up his signature blast, quickly releasing it as Damien finished his Swords Dance. The blast found its mark on Damien's face and sent him spinning in an explosion of blue Aura. If this was critical, everything was over. Damien spiraled through the air and collapsed a short distance away… only to rise once again.

Sean said a hasty prayer of thanks.

Blake became irritated. This fight should've ended many minutes ago.

"Lucario, ExtremeSpeed!"

He was affording Sean no time.

"Return! Quick!"

Damien charged up an immense power more quickly than before. Lucario broke out of the starting gate and readied his fist to finish off his foe. Damien also rocketed off, tearing across the metal surface once again with a bright blue flash. Sean screwed his eyes shut. This would be loud.

And it was.

The two forces collided like freight trains. Light and noise was everywhere, assaulting the senses and sending Sean and Blake to the floor. The echo reverberated powerfully off of the steel walls, sustaining the sound of the impact before finally winding down. Clouds of smoke from the respective attacks covered up the aftermath. Sean bit down hard on his fingernails.

The smoke began to clear. Blake saw Lucario flat on his back a short distance away, eyes glazed over and mouth agape. Sean almost cheered before he saw Damien on the ground in front of him, motionless. A draw meant no victor. And no victor meant no badge.

Sean's heart sank. He fell to his knees in front of his friend and pulled out his Pokeball. Blake strode over to the scene.

"I have to say, that was an incredible battle," he told Sean, still kneeling in front of his Serperior. "I would be honored if you would challenge my gym again soon."

Sean stood up and shook his hand.

"You are an amazing trainer," Sean told him, "It might be a while before I can challenge that Lucario again." He managed a grin. It felt like a defeat, no doubt, but it was probably the greatest battle Sean had ever witnessed. This day would be unforgettable.

Sean turned his Pokeball in his hands and pressed the button.

Well, he almost did.

Damien began to stir, painfully making his way back to an upright position. Sean's eyes widened with euphoria, and he began to question the reality of this moment.

Sure enough, Sean watched thunderstruck as his Serperior painstakingly slithered his way over to Blake, who stood paralyzed in disbelief.

"Give… this man… a badge…!" Damien choked out. He held his posture, refusing to rest until he saw the fruits of his labor. Blake stayed frozen in his paralysis as he gazed into Damien's exhausted but blazing eyes. Finally, his hand moved.

Blake pulled a small case out of his pocket and opened it for Sean to see.

"I can't believe I'm saying this… but you just earned yourself a Rivet Badge."

Sean's hand trembled violently as he reached out to take the badge – a small, shiny trinket in the shape of a Claymore sword. He turned it over in his fingers and watched in a daze as the light reflected off of it.

Damien shuffled over to Sean's side.

"There. It's over. Can we go home, now?"

Damien grinned. Sean hugged him tightly.


	6. Epilogue

"We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy told Sean as she returned his Pokeballs. Sean systematically released Damien and they strode out of the Pokemon Center side by side. Sean was still holding the badge that Blake had given him. He couldn't take his eyes off of it.

"That badge is pretty cool…" Damien spoke up, "but you should put it in your badge case before you lose all of our hard work!"

"Oh! Right." Sean had almost completely forgotten he had a badge case. He reached into his backpack and pulled it out of the front pocket. Eight shiny badges greeted him upon clicking it open. He almost placed his new badge in with the others before he realized…

…there was no ninth slot. The Pokemon League had been updated, but they hadn't released new badge cases. Sean simply stared at his new badge, helpless.

"Crap."

He turned to Damien with an amused befuddlement.

"The Pokemon League sucks."


End file.
